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Defensive gaping?
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by LarryDFishel on January 30, 2008
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I'm working on a "theory" and I've been meaning to ask this for a while.
Is anyone familiar with any species of snake, other than A. piscivorous, that regularly tilts it's head back when gaping as a defensive display so that the mouth is opened upward?
I know lots of species that gape but all the others I know usually face forward. And I AM interested in hearing from anyone keeping cantils.
Yawning, stretching or respiratory infections don't count.
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RE: Defensive gaping?
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by Cro on January 30, 2008
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Larry, I have seen Cantils gape the same way Cottonmouths do, as well as Rhino Vipers.
As far as the tilting the head back while gaping, have you ever experimented with Cottonmouths that were approached from face level (say, in a face level cage), instead of from above, to see it the amount they tilt the head back differs, depending on the angle that the treat is approaching them ?
Best Regards JohnZ
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RE: Defensive gaping?
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by LarryDFishel on January 30, 2008
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A Rhino? Now that's interesting. I'd love to see a photo to see how similar it is. Or of a cantil for that matter. I can't find a single photo of one gaping, but then there are not nearly as many photos of them on the web as cottons.
I like the idea for an experiment, but it could be tough in practice. I have access to 11 cottonmouth, but 8 are CB and 3 are LTC. None of them will gape unless I harass them a lot more than I would like, so doing it enough to compare different approaches is probably not going to work.
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RE: Defensive gaping?
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by Cro on January 30, 2008
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Larry, I have a couple of psycho Cottonmouths that still gape almost everytime I get near their cages.
I will try to put one of the cages up on a high shelf and approach it from face level, and try to determine if the snake uses a different angle of throwing its head back and gaping, than when it is approached from above.
Best Regards JohnZ
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RE: Defensive gaping?
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by Cro on February 3, 2008
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Larry, the initial test with two cottonmouths that almost always gape when approached has prooved interesting.
When I approach their cages on the high shelf at face level, they do not gape.
When I approach their cages from above, with the cages at waist or floor level, they gape.
I will continue this experiment with the 4 others that are known to readily gape, after they come out of brumation.
It is looking that the approach angle of the danger from above is very important to the behavior they show.
Best Regards JohnZ
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